From Hillary Curtis, Southampton:

I HAVE just visited my friend who lives in Ryde and I am sending this letter before I leave the Island.

Unfortunately, my friend has a bronchial condition and she is not in good health at the moment.

It does not surprise me because I have just experienced the stench of a bonfire that has permeated throughout her house. I was left choking because of the toxic smoke, so no wonder my friend is ill.

You all live on a fantastic Island, and you are trying to pretend that it is an eco island, but there is no way it ever can be when you are continually polluting it with bonfires.

My friend tells me as soon as spring comes, the gardeners light up their couch heaps in their gardens and allotments and leave them smouldering for days.

There are so many reasons why you should stop burning your rubbish:

1. Pushing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere heats up the planet and doesn’t do the Island any good.

2. Garden waste taken to the tip is turned into compost for re-sale so the council is being deprived of revenue.

3. Bonfires cause a toxic stench across the area and this makes people nauseous.

4. It can cause bronchial problems for those who have the misfortune to inhale it, and exacerbates the problem for those who already have bronchial problems.

5. It penetrates the house and makes everything smell, as I have just discovered.

6. It permeates washing on the line and makes the clothes reek.

7. In the summer heat it is pleasant to have the windows open, until someone lights up a stinking bonfire.

8. The person lighting the bonfire needs to be a little more aware of the impact on others and the fact he/she is supposed to be living on an eco-island.

If you are unable to take rubbish to the tip, put it out for collection if it falls into the appropriate categories, or call the council for advice, but please don’t keep smoking my friend out.